Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Armenia cannot give up on restoring its territorial integrity, including the return of Artsvashen and other territories under Azerbaijani control.
“I made that post because I cannot refrain from doing so — no representative or prime minister of the Republic of Armenia can renounce the agenda of restoring the country’s territorial integrity,” Pashinyan said at a briefing, referring to his recent social media post calling for the return of Artsvashen and other occupied areas.
Asked whether there have been any new developments in negotiations regarding enclaves, Pashinyan said there is no change in Armenia’s approach. He stressed that any solution must come through the border delimitation process based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, which reaffirms the mutual recognition of territorial integrity between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“The border delimitation must establish what exactly results from that process — once the contours of territorial integrity are restored, all other combinations and variations can be discussed,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan reiterated that Armenia remains committed to its written obligations and fully rules out the use of force: “We have said clearly that we exclude any force-based scenario. Delimitation must take place through the agreed process within the framework of the joint commissions.”
Touching upon possible alternatives, including land swaps, the Prime Minister stressed that no decision regarding territorial exchange can be made without the will of the Armenian people.
“If the question ever arises about exchanging territory, it is clear that this cannot happen without the consent of the citizens of Armenia. Even if not through a direct referendum, it would still require public agreement,” he said.
Pashinyan noted that the legal framework for delimitation is already in place, referring to the joint regulations approved by the Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions. Within that framework, he said, all discussions can proceed, but “nothing new” has been added to Armenia’s position.
